UT, A&M assess lay of the land

With Big 12 reduced to 10, Aggies giving SEC attention

BRENT ZWERNEMAN, College Station Bureau |
June 10, 2010

Colorado becomes the first new member of the Pac-10 Conference since 1978.

COLLEGE STATION — Colorado stepped on the accelerator Thursday and announced it is joining the Pacific-10 Conference, while Texas A&M and Texas eased off the gas in their considerations of replacement homes outside the Big 12.

The Southeastern Conference is very much in play for A&M, while Texas is at least mulling the possibility of joining the Big Ten or SEC, one person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

Nebraska is expected to announce today that it will join the Big Ten, giving the Big 12 its second defection, following Colorado’s declaration on Thursday.

“The University of Colorado is a perfect match — academically and athletically — with the Pac-10,” Colorado president Bruce Benson said in a statement. “Our achievements and aspirations match those of the universities in the conference, and we look forward to a productive relationship.”

Joint summit

Meanwhile, leaders from A&M and UT met in Austin on Thursday to discuss their options — including perhaps joining Colorado, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arizona and Arizona State in a southern division of the Pac-10 that would begin play prior to the 2012 football season.

“No decisions were made or agreements reached as a result of these discussions,” said Jason Cook, A&M’s vice president for marketing and communications, in a statement concerning Thursday’s meeting.

The Aggies are taking a hard look at the SEC, while the Longhorns also have a milder interest in what’s considered the best football conference in the nation, according to one insider with knowledge of the situation. UT, which would prefer the Pac-10 model over the SEC scenario, and A&M are in no rush to make a decision on which route to take — and they don’t have to be, considering both apparently have multiple options from which to choose.

UT as a Big Ten member is considered a stretch because of travel considerations and few historical ties with the conference’s other programs, but the Longhorns will at least consider the scenario, an insider said.

Meanwhile, the Buffaloes’ announcement of a move to the Pac-10 was considered a pre-emptive strike as Baylor tries to rally support as a Pac-10 entrant.

One insider said despite the departures of Nebraska and Colorado, an attempt to keep the Big 12 intact isn’t completely dead but is a long shot at best.

In response to Colorado’s impending departure, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said in a release: “I continue to work through the process that was agreed upon last week by our Board of Directors to address membership issues and am working tirelessly toward the long-term viability of the Big 12.”

The Big 12 began play 14 years ago, with four members of the dissolved Southwest Conference — Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor — merging with the old Big Eight. The schools that appear left in the cold from the Big 12’s likely demise are Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri.

Mulkey: ‘Classic greed’

“This is a classic example of greed and the almighty dollar,” Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey told the Waco Tribune-Herald. “It starts with people who make decisions at Nebraska and Texas. For people who talk about academics, this is not about what’s in the best interest of each student-athlete or the Big 12. It’s about money.

“If it’s about academics, Baylor would be included in an invite to the Pac-10. There are people who will be invited to the Pac-10 that Baylor has a better academic university than. It’s about greed, and shame on the people at the top. They don’t need to preach another day about student-athletes.”